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Past haunts former high school coach

Former Forest Hill High football coach and NFL player Jesse Solomon, who made headlines in 2004 after students alleged he got rough with them, is back in the news.

Solomon, who resigned after two students accused him of misconduct, quit his job coaching high school football in Atlanta after officials there found out that he had problems in Florida.

The Atlanta Public Schools system said Solomon never notified them about the incidents or that the state was looking into the allegations. In October, they suspended Solomon with pay from his job as head football coach at Mays High. In mid-December, he quit, according to the Post’s sister paper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Though Solomon told the paper he was cleared of wrongdoing by the Palm Beach County School District, his investigative file shows two letters of reprimand.

In January, the state enacted its own discipline against Solomon, doling out a letter of reprimand and requiring he undergo a psychological evaluation if he wants to teach in Florida again. If he comes back to the Sunshine State, he’ll also be on probation for two years back. And he’ll have to divulge all of this to his future school district.

Despite the accusations, Solomon continues to have supporters in Atlanta, including a blogger from the AJC.

Solomon, who as a young NFL player has the reputation of a brash, immature and garrulous player, took over Forest Hill’s Falcons in 2002 during what was then the state’s longest high school football losing streak. His leadership helped the Falcons snap what became a 43-game losing streak.

But in October 2003, the district began investigating Solomon after a student alleged he grabbed his backpack, pulled him to the floor and told him he would “knock” him out. In January, he got a written reprimand.

A few months later in February 2004, Solomon was under investigation again after another student accused him of hitting him in the chest with the back of his hand. The investigation prompted the district to issue a second written reprimand but not before Forest Hill High Principal Mayra Stafford told him she wasn’t renewing his contract. A few days later in May 2004, he penned a resignation letter and told students he was moving to Georgia to teach.

It’s unclear what Solomon’s plans are, but he told the AJC, “I’m going to sit back and look at my options. I want to get in the right situation. I’m into building young men.”